Twist resistant elevator guide linkage



Feb. 19, 1963 E. A. SAHLIN TWIST RESISTANT ELEVATOR GUIDE LINKAGE Filed May 11, 1960 INVENTOR BY ATTORNEY United dtates "atet @lihce Patented Feb. 19, 19593 3 $1 7 53 TWIST REQETANT EiiEVihZlflR GUHDE LENKAGE Eric Albert Sahliu, Sun (City, Aria, assign-er to @tls Eie= vator (Iompany, New York, N31, a corporation of New Jersey Filed May 11, 1959, Ser. No. 28,299 6 Clair (Cl. 187-95} The invention relates to elevator guides and more particularly to guide means carried by the elevator car for engagement with guide rails at the sides of the car.

The invention is especially applicable for guiding elevator cars which, because of the relatively heavy loads, they are desi ned to carry and/or the large dimensions of their platforms, may not be guided safely by a single pair of rails of the heaviest standard weight. With such elevator cars it has been found to be economically beneficial, both from the manufacturing and installation viewpoints, to provide a pair of guide rails (i.e. a double rail) at each of the car sides arranged with guiding means, rather than to manufacture and install guide rails of greater than standard weight.

The rails of such a pair are disposed in substantially parallel relation one to the other. Guiding means are mounted at the top and bottom of each car side which faces a rail pair and co-operate with that rail pair to guide the car in its vertical movement. Each guiding means includes two guide shoes, each one of which is in sliding engagement with an associated one of the rails of that pair.

In order to allow the car to run freely, it is desirable to distribute the pressure of the guide shoes equally on the rails. However, any inaccuracies in the spacing of the rails of a pair tends to cause the associated guide shoes to bind the rails, hampering free travel of the car. In the past, attempts have been made, as in laseph, Patent Number 2,489,140, to overcome such binding by arran ing the guide shoes of each pair so that they may move relative to each other in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the rails and thereby compensate for such rail misalignments. Such attempts have not eliminated twisting of the guide shoes in response to rail misalignments and therefore have not eliminated the binding of t is shoes on the rail.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide, for elevator car, new and improved guide means designed to co-operate with a pair of guide rails disposed in substantively parallel relation at one side of the car and adapted to distribute the bearing pressure equally between the two rails.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pair of elevator guide shoes for engagement respectively with a pair of guide rails disposed in substantively parallel relation and means mounting the guide shoes on the car and for interconnecting them for simultaneous movement opposite directions with respect to the car and laterally of the rails to compensate for any inaccuracy in the spacing of the guide rails.

in carrying out the invention, according to the preferred embodiment, a pair of guide rails disposed in substantiveiy parallel relation at one side or" the elevator car are engaged respectively by a pair of guide shoes. Lever elements of equal length are attached to the guide shoes at the midpoint of the respective longitudinal dimensions of the shoes and are fulcrumed on the car at a point mi way between the rails. The lever elements lie in the same plane as the plane of the forces applied to the shoes due to misalignments in the spacing of the rails. The arrangement of the lever elements is such that the guide shoes are interconnected for simultaneous equal and opposite movement with respect to the car in a direction transverse to the guide rails in response to the lateral forces applied to the shoes by the rails. In this manner the bearing pressure of the guide shoes on the rails is equalized and binding of the shoes on the rails, including that due to twisting of the guide shoes, is eliminated or at least minimized.

Features and advantages of the invention will be seen from the above, from the following description when considered in conjunction with the drawings and from the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view in section of portions of an elevator car and hoistway, showing a pair of guide rails mounted in the hoistway at one side of the car and one of the two guiding devices arranged on that side of the car and engaging the rails in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view in elevation of the arrangement of FIGURE 1 with the guide rails omitted;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, the guide rail also being shown;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a view in perspective of the connecting linkage 3d of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 6 is a partial view in elevation of a modified form of guiding device embodying the invention.

Referring to the drawings, the pair of guide rails 10, 11 of T-shaped cross section are mounted in parallel alignment on hoistway wall 13 along the path of travel of car 15. These rails are engaged by the guiding device, generally designated 17, arranged on the side of the car adjacent the rails.

Guiding device 17 includes a pair of grooved guide shoes 19, 20 which respectively, engage the T-shaped rails 3.9, ill so that the shoes slidably follow the contour of the rails, as the elevator car travels up or down. A vertically disposed mounting plate 22 bolted to the car is provided with two spaced supporting brackets 24, 25, extending horizontally between the rails. Mounting plate 22 may be moved outwardly toward hoistway wall 13 by inserting shims 23' between the plate and the car. Between supporting brackets .24, 25 and welded thereto are two vertically disposed plates 27, 28. These latter plates are spaced apart to receive loosely linkage, generally designated 3-0, connecting guide shoes i9, 20 to each other.

Connecting linkage an consists of two rocker assemblies 32, 33 of equal length and made up of double and single links 35, 36, respectively, pivotally connected together to form a lazy tong. The midsections of the rocker assemblies are positioned loosely between plates 27, and are fulcrunred at their mid-points on pin 38 passing through apertures formed in plates 27, Retaining rings a l are fitted into peripheral grooves formed at each end of pin 38 and secure the pin to plates 27, 28. One movable end of the lazy tong assembly is pivotally connected to the side of guide shoe 19 at the mid-point of the longitudinal dimension of that shoe, while the other movable end is similarly connected to guide shoe 20.

By referring to FIGURE 3, it is seen that the rear of each of the guide shoes 19, 2t) rests against mounting plate 2'2. Stops secured to plate 22 above and below each guide shoe limit vertical movement of the shoes with respect to the car and keep them in substantively horizontal alignment with each other. It may also be seen that supporting brackets 24, 25 (FIGURES 1 and 2) and their vertical connecting plates 27, 28 are constructed so as to place the linkage 3d, connecting the guide shoes, in a vertical plane passing through both guide shoes at substantively the mid-depth of their rail engaging grooves.

- aov'zosa The entire guiding device 17, including guide shoes 19, 1 20, may be properly positioned with respect to the rails it engages by means of the aforementioned shims 23, so that the shoes properly embrace the rails.

With this described arrangement, it is seen that, if at any point either of the guide rails it 11 is deflected toward or from the other rail so as to cause a slight variation in the spacing between the rails, the guide shoes (19, 26), running on the deflected rail, in following the deiiection, can move freely toward or away from the other guide shoe without binding against the rail. The movement of one guide shoe toward the other causes rockers 32, 33 to rock about their fulcrum equal amounts but in opposite directions, contracting the lazy tong. If at this point the other guide rail is perfectly straight, the final effect of the deflection of one rail will be a shifting of the car toward be other guide rail half the amount of the deflection. The same final effect is obtained but in the opposite direction, if the slight deflection of the guide rail is in a direction to move one guide shoe away from the other, with the exception that in such a case the shifting of the car is brought about by extension of the lazy tong instead of contraction. Such slight lateral movements of the car during its vertical travel are unimportant; the primary advantage of the described floating arrangement of the guide shoes with respect to the car being the equal division of bearing pressure against the two guide rails at all times without binding of the shoes against the rails in spite of slight variations in the spacing of the rails.

It may be noted that, in the arrangement disclosed, the lateral forces applied to a guide shoe (19, 20) by a guide rail (16, 11) deflected sidewise are transmitted (through linkage 3G to car 15 and the other guide shoe, and in turn the rail associated with that other guide shoe) in the plane of the applied force, that is, sidewise of the deflected rail where it presses against the guide shoe. The position of the linkage 30 with respect to the rail engaging grooves of the guide shoes (19, prevents the application of the lateral forces to the guide shoes in a manner which would create moments tending to twist the shoes about their respective longitudinal axes, as, for example, would be the case, if linkage 30 were connected to the rear of the guide shoes. Furthermore, the lateral forces are transmitted through the lazy tong from and to the mid-points of the longitudinal dimensions of the guide shoes, so that the vertical components of those forces cancel each other, preventing sidewise turning of the guide shoes.

The subject arrangement permits the car to be conveyed midway between the two guide shoes at all times, even though, if the rails are not strictly parallel to each other, the spacing between the shoes may vary, as they travel along their respective guide rails. At the same time binding of the guide shoes to the rails is prevented.

If desired, the foregoing described arrangement may be modified as shown in FIGURE 6, wherein the rocker assemblies 32, 33 are pivotally connected to each of the guide shoes 19, 2% at points equidistant from the midpoint of the longitudinal dimension of each guide shoe.

As changes can be made in the above described construction and many apparently different embodiments of this invention can be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown on the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. An elevator guide device for use with and operating between a pair of guide rails disposed in substantively parallel relation one to the other at one side of an elevator car, said device comprising, a pair of guide shoes formed to engage and follow said rails respectively, and means mounted on said car'and mechanically interconnecting said shoes for simultaneous equal and opposite movement with respect to said car in a direction transverse to said rails in response to lateral forces applied to said shoes by said rails due to variations in the spacing of said rails, said means lying in the same vertical plane as the plane of said forces, whereby the lateral pressure of the rails against the shoes is equalized independently of variations in said spacing while preventing twisting of said shoes about their respective longitudinal axes.

2. An elevator guide device for use with and operating between a pair of guide rails disposed in substantively parallel relation one to the other at one side of an elevator car, said device comprising; a pair of guide shoes, one for each of said rails, each of said shoes having a rail engaging groove formed along its longitudinal axis for sliding engagement of that shoe along its associated rail; linkage extending from one shoe to the other between said rails, said linkage lying in a vertical plane intersecting both said longitudinal grooves of said shoes at substantively groove mid-depth and flexibly interconnecting said shoes; and means pivotally mounting said linkage at its mid-point to said one side of said car.

:3. An elevator guide device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said linkage comprises a pair of rocker assemblies of equal length connected to form a lazy tong fulcrumed at its mid-point and having two movable ends, one each of which movable ends of said lazy tong is pivotally connected to an associated one of said shoes at the mid-point of the longitudinal dimension of that shoe and at substantively the mid-depth of said longitudinal groove of that shoe.

4. An elevator guide device as set set forth in claim 2, wherein said linkage comprises a pair of rocker assemblies of equal length fulcrumed on said car side at their midpoints, each of said rocker assemblies having one movable end pivotally connected to one of said shoes at substantively the mid-depth of said rail engaging groove formed in that shoe and another oppositely disposed movable end similarly connected to the other of said shoes, said pivot connections to each of said shoes be ing made along the longitudinal dimension of and at spaced points oppositely disposed and equal distances from the mid-point of the longitudinal dimension of the shoe to which they are connected.

5. An elevator guide device for use with and operating between a pair of guide rails disposed in substantively parallel relation one to the other at one side of an elevator car, said device comprising; a pair or guide shoes, one for each of said rails, each of said shoes having a rail engaging groove formed along its longitudinal axis for sliding engagement of that shoe along its associated rail; linkage extending from one shoe to the other between said rails, said linkage lying in a vertical plane intersecting both said longitudinal grooves of said shoes at substantively groove mid-depth and flexibly interconnecting said shoes at the mid-points of their respective longitudinal dimensions; and means pivotally mounting said linkage at its mid-point to said one side of said car.

6. A guiding device for one side of an elevator car operating in a hoistway between two pairs of T-shaped guide rails, said pairs being mounted vertically in said hoistway at oppositely disposed sides of said car, the rails of each pair being in parallel alignment one to the other, said device comprising, mounting means adjustably positioned on said car and extending between the parallel rails of one of said pairs, :1 guide shoe for each rail of said one pair, each of said shoes having a longitudinal groove formed along its front face embracing the rail for which that shoe is provided for sliding engagement of the shoe along that rail, two rocker assemblies of equal length consisting of double and single link elements arranged into a lazy tong having two oppositely disposed movable ends for connection to said respective shoes, fulcrum means pivotally attaching said rocker assemblies at their respective mid-points to said mounting means at, a

point midway between the rails of said one pair and in a vertical plane passing through the mid-depth of both rail engaging grooves of said shoes, means for each shoe pivotally connecting the movable end of said lazy tong assembly associated with that shoe to the side of that shoe facing the opposing shoe, said connection being made at the mid-point of the longitudinal dimension of that shoe, and means mounted on said car adjacent the rails of said one pair for limiting the vertical displacement of said shoes with respect to said car and for in substantively horizontal alignment keeping said shoes with each other.

Steur Waite Apr. 24, 1894 Dec. 8, 1903 Nov. 22, 1949 

1. AN ELEVATOR GUIDE DEVICE FOR USE WITH AND OPERATING BETWEEN A PAIR OF GUIDE RAILS DISPOSED IN SUBSTANTIVELY PARALLEL RELATION ONE TO THE OTHER AT ONE SIDE OF AN ELEVATOR CAR, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING, A PAIR OF GUIDE SHOES FORMED TO ENGAGE AND FOLLOW SAID RAILS RESPECTIVELY, AND MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID CAR AND MECHANICALLY INTERCONNECTING SAID SHOES FOR SIMULTANEOUS EQUAL AND OPPOSITE MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID CAR IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO SAID RAILS IN RESPONSE TO LATERAL FORCES APPLIED TO SAID SHOES BY SAID RAILS DUE TO VARIATIONS IN THE SPACING OF SAID RAILS, SAID MEANS LYING IN THE SAME VERTICAL PLANE AS THE PLANE OF SAID FORCES, WHEREBY THE LATERAL PRESSURE OF THE RAILS AGAINST THE SHOES IS EQUALIZED INDEPENDENTLY OF VARIATIONS IN SAID SPACING WHILE PREVENTING TWISTING OF SAID SHOES ABOUT THEIR RESPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL AXES. 